Mixing bowls

Materials

Stainless steel

Light, unbreakable, conducts heat so it works over a pan and chills fast in the fridge. Cannot go in a microwave. The best all-round choice.

Glass

Non-reactive, microwaveable, and you can see what is happening from the side — genuinely useful for judging a batter. Heavy and breakable.

Ceramic

Heavy, stable, holds temperature. Good for dough proving. Awkward for anything needing to be lifted and poured.

Plastic

Light and cheap, and it is the one to avoid for egg whites. Plastic is slightly porous and holds a fat residue that no washing removes, and traces of fat stop a meringue foam forming.

Copper

Genuinely improves egg-white foams through a chemical interaction. Expensive, and cream of tartar does the same job.

What makes a bowl good to work in

• A wide, deep, rounded interior. Sharp internal corners trap unmixed flour and butter, and a spatula cannot reach them.
• Deeper than it is wide, for whisking. A shallow bowl throws its contents out.
• Wide and shallow, for folding. More surface area means fewer strokes, and every stroke costs air.
• A rolled rim, so it pours cleanly and is comfortable to grip.
• A weight that lets it sit still, or a non-slip base. A bowl that skates while you whisk is genuinely irritating.
• A size that fits over your pans, if you want to use it as a bain-marie for melting chocolate or making hollandaise.

Which sizes to own

• A large one, at least 4 litres, for bread dough, big salads and anything you are folding.
• A medium one for general mixing.
• Two or three small ones for weighed-out ingredients, beaten egg and separated whites.
• Nesting sets are worth it purely for storage.
• At least one stainless bowl that fits snugly over a saucepan.
• At least one that goes in the microwave.

The meringue rule

Fat prevents egg white foaming. The proteins that build the foam cannot form a stable film if fat molecules get between them, and the quantity needed to cause a problem is very small — a speck of yolk, or an oily residue.

Plastic is the problem because it is very slightly porous and takes up oils from everything it has ever held. A plastic bowl can be scrupulously washed and still carry enough residue to stop a meringue.

Use glass, stainless or ceramic, and wipe it with a little vinegar or lemon juice on kitchen paper first if you want certainty. It takes ten seconds and removes the commonest reason egg whites refuse to whip.

Using a bowl as a tool

Half of what a good mixing bowl does has nothing to do with mixing.

• As a bain-marie. Set over a pan of barely simmering water, not touching it, for melting chocolate and making custards and hollandaise.
• As a proving vessel, covered, for bread dough. Glass or ceramic holds warmth better than steel.
• As a lid, inverted over a plate or a pan.
• For steaming a Christmas pudding or a steamed sponge, which is what a pudding basin is.
• For resting and dressing, tossing a salad or coating vegetables in oil before roasting, which no flat surface does as well.
• Sitting on a damp cloth so it cannot spin while you whisk one-handed and pour with the other.
• Chilled in the freezer for whipping cream, which whips faster and holds better in a cold bowl.
• Nested, which is the whole argument for owning a set rather than three unrelated bowls.

Common questions